According to a Turkish state-run news wire, almost 450 suspects were cuffed in the early hours of Sunday morning although other reports claimed 690 suspects were held at the end of the day.

Amounting to one of Turkey’s largest operations against the terror-network, the raids occurred across an unusually wide area, with suspects seized from 18 provinces.

In Ankara, the capital, at least 60 suspects were detained while 150 were arrested in Sanliurfa province near the Syrian border.

Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and analyst who focuses on Turkey for think-tank Carnegie Europe, said the move is a change in strategy by the Turkish police who usually detain only small numbers of jihadists.

But Ahmet Yayla, a former counter-terrorist chief in Turkey questioned the processes.

He said: “It is impossible to process that many terrorists in one operation.”

Dr Yayla, who headed counter-terrorist operations in south east Turkey from 2010 to 2012 said officers may not be able to properly handle the paperwork and interrogations associated with processing more than 50 suspects.

Turkey has suffered a number of attacks linked to the Islamic State since 2014. On New Years day, a jihadi killed 39 people at a nightclub in Istanbul.

Following the attack on the Reina nightclub, Turkish President Erdogan said his country was determined to “fight to the end” against the terror groups and would “never give ground to such dirty games.”

Last week, a senior ISIS leader was killed during a monstrous airstrike in eastern Iraq.

Abu Suhaib was obliterated in the strike which targeted the region of Mutaibija as two of his sick associates were also injured in the blast – according to local sources.

His death came just days after barbaric ISIS executioner Abu Abdel Rahman was also killed in Mosul.

Source: express.co.uk